Normal?

Is it normal...

• for your 2 year old to play in the toilet with her toothbrush? While sucking on the openned tube of toothpaste?
• to find you son's missing flip flop in the gutters?
• to have toys in every crevice of every room?
• for your son to grow out of all of his jeans in one week?
• for your freshly mopped floor to be covered with an unknown sticky substance 5 minutes later?
• to always have at least 3 loads of laundry in the hamper (even if you spent the entire day doing the laundry)?
• to always have a dishwasher FULL of dirty dishes?
• to ALWAYS have urine behind the toilet?
• to be interrupted at least 16 times for every 5 minute conversation you attempt to have with your husband?
• to lock yourself in your room or the bathroom in order to be able to talk on the phone?
• to count down the days until school starts? (18)

I am beginning to think we are not normal...

And, if this is normal, can't I be weird on occasion?

Mrs. Nurse Boy, signing off for another "normal" day...

If You Can't Beat the Heat, You Might As Well Sweat

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

So, we went to the farmstead today. Yes, we know there is still a whole lot of foolishness going on with this HOT, HOT weather, but we can't keep the kids inside the house until school starts. If we do, someone won't make it out alive and it might be the mama.

We raced tractors. Well, sort of...

Bruiser learned what happens when you get into trouble in kindergarten.


They think they are farmers, just because we live in the plains. It's the burbs, guys.

A shady spot!

Fun in the sun.

Nurse Boy simply cannot be left out of the fun.

Sweet Pea was afraid of the petting zoo.

The boys loved feeding the goats.

Does this sum up the day, or what?!

We did go straight to the pool after we got home.

Remind me not to complain when snow is back in the forecast...

Wipeout

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Note to self: Never, I repeat NEVER, watch a show called "Wipeout" with a 2 year old, a 5 year old, and an 8 year old. That is, if you value your children's lives and hope your furniture might last for more than another month!

As a family, we sat down to watch T.V. together last night. This is usually a private ritual that often takes place when the children are in bed, free of animation or stupid jokes told while we watch fathers all over the nation get hit you-know-where as their children gleefully swing objects at them. (WHY do we laugh EVERY time this happens? Why, America's Funniest Home Videos, WHY?) However, with all of the foolishness going on outside (aka 180 degree weather), the only energy we could muster up was the energy it took to walk from the kitchen table to the couch. Sad, but true.

So, we tuned into a show Nurse Boy and the boys wanted to watch. It is called Wipeout. It is some sort of competitive "game show". One where the contestants have to defy the laws of gravity with every obstacle placed in front of them over the course of an action packed hour. I am pretty sure that every contestant leaves with a concussion and a trip to the ER.

Frankly, I am amazed we didn't end up in the ER ourselves last night. During each commercial break, the children began reenacting every obstacle they had just watched ON MY FURNITURE! Sweet Pea almost killed herself about 8 times. I didn't even know she had those moves in her. Impressive, but scary.

My poor, poor furniture.

Oh, and I am glad the kids are o.k. And that they will NEVER jump on my furniture like that again.

Oh, who am I kidding...

Whew! I'm Tired!

We woke the kids up with an exciting surprise. We were spending the day at Crown Center!

We started the day at the Hallmark Visitor's Center...

Next stop, Kaleidoscope! Here they are about to enter Kaleidoscope and fill those paper bags with very special items that I will be picking up and throwing away for the next month. (Hey, I HATE clutter...)

They had a blast at Kaleidoscope, to say the very least. I am not so sure Nurse Boy felt the same way; with all the kids, parents, and grandparents pushing their way through each activity. The boys also got to make cards for our soldiers. Way cool!



Well, a day at Crown Center with the kids is not complete until you have clogged your arteries while receiving the WORST costumer service in the state of Missouri at Fritz's. The kids loved the train that delivers your fat laced burgers. My stomach did not!


Don't they look happy?! Maybe those overpriced meals are worth every penny after all.

Here are their faces when the train delivered their meal.

Priceless!

Next stop, the Crayola Store.

We also visited their latest exhibit.

After all of this fun, we stopped to watch an awesome puppet show. Nurse Boy went to get us coffee and came back with 5 cones instead. He claims the cones cost the same as the 2 coffees. However, I am not sure Sweet Pea's shirt, shorts, or stroller will ever be the same again.

On our way to the car, we stopped to let the kids run in the fountains. Dimples is pictured above. He said today was one of his "most favorite days EVER." Bruiser agreed.

Finally, some gratitude!!!

Am I Old?

If you just completed orientation for a new job and the average age of the fellow new employee is about 10 years younger than you does that make you old?

If you are currently taking 3 prescription medications does that make you old?

If one of your limbs swells for no apparent reason on a daily basis does that make you old?

If you wife shaves your back, and you have to regularly trim your nose and ear hair does that make you old?

If it looks like you are wearing a flesh colored yamika (a little help imperfect mom) does that make you old?

If you have suffered from at least one bout of gout in your life does that make you old?

If you bend over to touch your toes and you can only make it to mid shin does that make you old?

If your kids have more disposable income than you do, does that make you old?

If you can remember your first VCR and the VHS/Beta battle does that make you old?

If you remember seeing music videos on MTV does that make you old?

If you remember staying up until midnight to see the thriller video does that make you old?

If you ever made a mixed cassette tape for a friend does that make you old?

If you ever rolled your pants does that make you old?

If you ever wore parachute pants does that make you old?

If you ever had "fats" for shoe laces does that make you old?

I you answered NO to any of these questions does that make you old?

Pretty in Pink?

Mrs. Nurse Boy here. I have been trying to get Nurse Boy to do some blogging, since I know you all read this because of him. No matter how funny I try to be, I can't hold a candle to him. Nor should I, since he is often known as Gas Boy around here. (I am so getting in trouble for that one :0) However, life is weighing a little heavy around here. When life gets serious, Nurse Boy stops blogging. We keep having discussions about his new job, his schooling, the boys' private schooling, our old cars, Emma's need for furniture....the list really does go on and on. Are you seeing money signs yet? Because we are! But, God is faithful! But, that is a topic for another day.

So, have you ever caught your kids doing something that is a HUGE no, no and wanted to laugh out loud? Or, even worse, take a picture of it? A few months ago my two year old was very quiet. Instead of realizing that something must be very wrong, I was enjoying a nice quiet moment. After all, she is my third. Pretty soon I couldn't ignore it any longer.

I immediately found Sweet Pea in the bathroom with her grubby little fingers in my makeup. Oh, did she look pretty! I whispered to Dimples to get my camera, while firmly telling her to NEVER, EVER get into Mommy's makeup. When Dimples brought me the camera, I started taking pictures while lecturing her on makeup no, no's. I didn't want her to know just how funny it was, but I had to record the memory to blow up into poster size on the day of her high school graduation. (And don't think I won't!)

So, now I will post it on the internet for everyone to see...

Don't you just love how she caked it on and around her eyes.? Yes, Sweet Pea, Mommy does that, too. That's because having three kids has given her very dark circles under her eyes. The doctor says they will fade in about 18 years or so, right after my crow's feet come in.

What a mess! I must share that she did NOT get any makeup on her clothes. After all, she IS a girl!

So, what do you all think? Should I eBay what is left of the makeup?

Mrs. Incredible Takes Another Man Down

Superman and Mrs. Incredible used to be the best of buds...


until he made fun of her pigtails...

then she took him down with one mighty blow.

(He only had a cape. SHE had the muscles.)

Kid's Play

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Well, we went to the Topeka Zoo and had a blast! I would highly recommend the trip! It is a simple zoo with plenty of animals to see. We covered the ENTIRE zoo in just under 2 hours. And we definitely went at a slow pace. The picture you see above was right after we entered the zoo gates. It was also the last time Sweet Pea spent any time in her stroller. She RAN through the zoo and loved every minute of it!

We visited the orangutans. I know, it is hard to tell the difference between the moneys and the kids.

They even had statues and play equipment to play on!

The animals were close by and so easy to see! We really enjoyed the elephants.

I love this picture of Nurse Boy and his princess...although, I often think he is creating a monster, rather than a princess. The QUEEN will have to take care of that!

After the zoo, we walked across the parking lot to the park. We ate lunch, played on the playground, and rode the train. The park was probably just as much fun as the zoo. When we finally got back in the car, we were hot and tired. It was a perfect day with the family!

But, please remember, my children do like to keep me humble.

As we were driving home, Nurse Boy and I were discussing the successful trip and planning the next time we can visit the Topeka Zoo. Out of the blue, Bruiser speaks up.

"Mom? Dad? What special thing are we going to do when we get home?"

I won't share our response, but he IS still alive and well.

shut UP!

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I have a confession to make. I have a horrible habit. One that seems to get me into trouble every time I have a child entering the toddler years. Or, as I like to call them, the parrot years. Ya know, the years where they repeat everything you say. Just like a parrot, who doesn't know when to shut UP!

Oops, there I go again.

For those of you who know Nurse Boy really well, you know that he is always joking around. Sometimes the kids aren't sure whether or not to believe the CRAZY stuff he is telling them. Then there are times he just spouts out stuff to get a reaction.

Well, I always react. And, I usually react by playfully telling him to "shut UP." I don't tell my kids, friends, or family to shut up when I am mad. It is a playful thing.

Let me just say that listening to your two year old yelling, "shut UP, shut UP" to her brothers and laughing is NOT GOOD! It doesn't sounds playful or cute. I felt like I had just taught her a curse word.

Say a prayer for me that she forgets this phrase....and that she doesn't use it on the pastor or the doctor, or even in church when the congregation is totally silent.

I am going to wash my mouth out with soap...

Shhh... It's a Surprise!

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

So, since Nurse Boy is in the process of changing jobs and getting ready to go back to school, summer vacation is NOT in the budget. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we have decided to take little day trips or plan simple activities off and on this summer. My favorite part of the simple festivities that we have planned is that they are a complete and udder surprise to the kids.

Tomorrow we are going to wake the kids up with the news that our lunch is packed and we are headed to the Topeka Zoo. We have never been to the Topeka Zoo. Rumor has it that it is better than the KC Zoo. However, that's not saying much. I think the KC Zoo is almost awful. Not quite, but almost. Hopefully, we will make some memories.

And the best part? We are going to have a date night when we get home tomorrow evening!! Woo Hoo!! A day spent together as a family and a night alone with my Nurse Boy! That sounds like a perfect day to me. Hopefully our old age won't catch up with us. We could be wiped out after a day at the zoo. We shall see!

Does anyone else have some ideas for some simple activities or day trips? We are trying to think of some more ideas before the summer is over.

I Warned Her

We did not inherit the best shower fixtures. The cold handle has jiggled since we moved in. Every now and then MNB(Mrs. Nurse Boy) decides that it is jiggling too much. It A.- always jiggles too much and B.- is not jiggling any more than it did yesterday. But today it's an emergency. Anyway, the last time I tightened it I warned her we could never get that handle off again, because in an effort to get it to actually tighten it I stripped it out. Well we had a new emergency last night. All of the fresh water in the universe was going to drip out of our faucet. That is quite a bill you know. Anywho, in an effort to still problem solve I may have wrenched the handle in a complete 360 which then tore the metal thingy inside it, gently. We have suddenly surpassed my plumbing ability. So the $375.00 that is took to fix my mistake is actually less than our bill would have been for the 3 trillion gallon drip that would have occurred if MNB had never sent me up there. So I saved us money. Who knew that my unprecedented strength would get us into plumbing trouble. I suppose my massive pythons don't know their own strength.

The moral of the story is you don't call a pre-plumber to do a plumbers work.

"Plumber" Boy He is Not

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Last night we cut Nurse Boy and Dimples hair (out in the backyard with their shirts off...because we are a little white trash too, Chaos). Next, all of the kids and Nurse Boy showered before bed. Since I need a good, long shower to wake me from glorious slumber every morning, I went in the bathroom to wash my face. I was saving my shower for the morning. I noticed the shower was dripping.

Those darn ears. WHY did I hear that sound? Why didn't I just mind my own business? Scrub my face and jump into bed?

No, I told Nurse Boy that the cold water handle needed some tightening. He proudly got out his tools and went to work.

He returned with a handful of faucet parts. He BROKE the faucet. That's right, he BROKE it. It just needed some GENTLE tightening. I mean this man works on his patient's plumbing everyday for a living. Clearly, it is not the same thing.

It is official, he has chosen the correct plumbing in which he should make a living.

So, that quiet little drip cost us $375.

Did I mention that he leaves his current job tomorrow and begins his new one on Monday? And that we won't get paid for a month? Don't ya just love life?

Now, I need to jump into the shower...

Terrible Two's, Here We Are...

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I really don't think the two's are terrible at all. (But DON'T even get me started on three's.) I mean, sometimes the two year old IS terrible, but they are still so stinkin' cute. That cuteness simply saves their lives. I mean it! They still have those chubby cheeks and legs and an adorable little tummy. One look and your heart melts just a little.

I often tell Sweet Pea that she is being a booger. Now she will do something she is not suppose to do and look me in the eyes and say,"Booger." I realize I shouldn't be calling her that, but she does crack me up when she says it back.

Well, today Sweet Pea was coming off of her holiday sugar high. I always think am I controlling their diet better than this. Today it was obvious that those chubby checks had "suckered" some other people into giving her sweets. I won't name any names, but let's just say I tend to stand alone in some of my firm ways.

I had three bags of candy up on the kitchen counter from the 4th of July parade. Needless to say, the kids had cleaned house during the parade. I didn't even think Sweet Pea knew where the candy was. Not only is she a booger, but a smart one at that. While Dimples was reading and "watching" her in the kitchen, she pushed the chair up to the counter and helped her little two year old self to a sucker. She immediately left the room and began to enjoy the hard earned treasure. I found her and took the stickiness away. She cried. I did not cave. She still cried. I folded laundry...it is Monday after all and it was piled high...do I get an amen?

A few minutes later, I break away from the foolishness that I like to call laundry after the holiday weekend, and I found Sweet Pea in front of the television (that SHE had turned on) eating a STARBURST! WHAT! Oh, she is cute, but I made her spit it out and turn off the T.V.

Finally, I decided that I MUST be smarter than a two year old, but I do realize I am NOT smarter than a fifth grader (fun show, though). So, I place the three bags on top of the fridge. I hold my breath, realizing if she is smarter than me, she just might kill herself standing on the counter. However, she is afraid of heights. Will the need for candy over ride the fear of heights?

I continue to fold laundry. Next time I check in the kitchen, the chair is pushed up to the fridge. The fear seemed to win out. She left the kitchen without a sugary snack and I AM SMARTER THAN A TWO YEAR OLD.

Now, I must go fold some laundry and run the washer since everyone had to wear more clothes today. Whatever...

Fireworks

We went to see fireworks last night for the first time in about six years. They were very enjoyable. The kids did like them, but were not enthralled like I thought they might be. We went to a spot that seemed perfect. There were very few people around, so we did not have to feel too bad about our obnoxious kids. But, we did not escape the post fireworks traffic jam. Right when I was about to exclaim that we would not see fireworks for another six years, it came on the radio. It was a dance remix that blended two of the most sophisticated songs of my generation. They were Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, and Nasty Boys by Janet Jackson. It had us rolling for about 15 minutes with lines like this:

Quick to the point like the point I'm making, cooking MC's like a pound of bacon... uh huh, I know... oh, you nasty boys.

The wife and I were laughing so much the traffic jam was more of a blessing. If you are wondering what the point of this particular blog entry is, it has to be that:

If this blog were a drug, I would sell it by the gram.

Ice Ice Nurse Boy

Too cold, too cold.

Research from the Peck Household

Researchers have shown that two out of two boys under the age of nine do not have the ability to flush the toilet in the Peck household. It is not yet known if this is a trait passed on by the Y chromosome. More information is needed to solidify this hypothesis. When these boys will gain the flushing ability is yet to be determined.

Are They Listening?

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Bruiser always keeps me on my toes. He is such a fun, active kid. Since the very day he was born he has brought a lot of laughter into our home. I refer to him as "mini nurse boy." Just like his father, he often says what is on his mind without always thinking. That is why they both make me laugh so much.

They also embarrass me quite often. But, that is a subject for another day.

We spent the other day at the church picnic. The kids had a blast. They left the park tired and dirty. The next morning we discovered that Bruiser also left the park with a dear tick on his ear. And, I must mention that I successfully removed the tick, even though I considered driving 40 minutes to Nurse Boy's work to have the NURSE remove it. But, I resisted and it actually wasn't so bad. Have I mentioned how much of a city girl I am?

Bruiser also woke up with what he called "nipples" all over him. Then he remembered that his brother had one of these so called "nipples" last week that was driving him crazy. When he showed me his HUGE mosquito bites, I told him not to itch them. He must have heard me say this last week because I was about to say, "so they will go away faster." But, before I could get the rest of the sentence out, he said, "I don't want them to go away faster. I have to itch them." That was the end of the discussion. This kid keeps me on my toes!

Today, Bruiser and I were having a serious discussion about one of his so called friends. This "friend" isn't always very kind or even nice to Bruiser. I wanted him to come to this conclusion on his own. I started asking him questions about how this person treats him and how friends are suppose to treat each other. He answered my questions. Just when I thought I was making progress, he looked me straight in the face and very profoundly said, "Mom, I have to go to the bathroom." Again, that was the end of the discussion.

He is only five.

He will learn, right?

RIGHT?